Terri Proud, AZ State Legislator: A Single Mom’s Journey to Run, Win & Serve

As a single mom of a special needs child, Arizona State Legislator Terri Proud knew what it was like to struggle financially, to spend hours in the hospital with her child, an experience which often correlated with making the difficult decision of what bill she was to pay and which one she was going to skip.

While many would think that she had her hands full enough, Proud’s experience as a single mom only increased her concern that Arizona was not headed in a good political direction. She believed that the current trend of legislation was creating a state which infringed upon constitutional and personal rights, making it difficult for struggling families to survive. As Proud says, “The direction of the state was not one that I wanted my children to live in.”

She believes that every citizen should serve at least one term in an elected office. “It is our duty to be involved. Our founding fathers gave us an incredible inheritance and we should do everything we can to preserve that.”

In 2009, Proud decided that it was time to take action. She began her campaign for the 2011-2013 term as a state legislator. With no campaign experience, she immediately began to search for organizations that provides new candidate training. Proud learned about American Majority New Leaders Campaign Training through an email, and immediately signed up to attend a training in Phoenix.

She was amazed. “It was the best seminar I have ever gone to… the knowledge that I left with was invaluable. I utilized everything that I was taught and I believe wholeheartedly that one of the reasons I won top vote as an unknown in my district was because of the information I received through the classes that American Majority provided.”

At the training, Proud received a manual providing important dates and deadlines for Arizona candidates. It was a wealth of information for Proud, who calls American Majority manuals and trainings “a saving grace” for those candidates who have no idea where to start.

The campaign process was especially challenging for Proud, as she frequently had to balance an aggressive campaign with hospital visits. Her two girls were fully supportive of her campaign, but she didn’t want to compromise her family for the sake of political success. Social media became an important tool in her campaign, as she was able to spend time with her children while communicating online. Because of this, she was also able to employ more social media tools than her opposition. As Proud says, “I took what I learned from the American Majority classes that I attended and implemented them into my campaign. And it worked….I received top vote in my district.”

When serving as an Arizona state legislator, Proud has found that she had more time to spend with her girls in comparison to her campaign experience. Her political experience has strengthened her opinion that every person should somehow involve themselves in government. And for those who make that decision, she encourages each of them to consume as much information about the process as possible and prepare themselves to step up to change their states.